Chapter 35: The Weight of a Secret

Mo Sishi’s voice lacked conviction when she asked that question, as if she were worried about Bai YuYang refusing to keep her secret.

‘Heh heh, YuYang definitely won’t agree so readily.’

‘After all, Sishi, this is where you and I met. If I were to ‘let you off’ so easily, how would our future unfold?’

“Keep your secret, you say? I can, but…” A mischievous smirk appeared on Bai YuYang’s handsome face. “I have a condition. If you agree, I won’t say a word.”

“A condition…? Class Monitor, could you perhaps tell me what it is first…?”

“Of course. There’s only one condition: you must tell me, in detail, why you’ve been disguising your appearance. Once you explain it clearly, I promise to remain tight-lipped. I won’t utter a single word.”

“Why… like this?”

‘Heh heh, utterly satisfying!’

Though her glasses and hair obscured her face, making it impossible to see Mo Sishi’s expression, Bai YuYang knew she must be feeling quite wronged.

Without a shred of pity, Bai YuYang twisted the knife further. “Ah, you see, I’m a very curious person. Now that I’ve seen it, I want to know the truth. If you don’t tell me, I can’t guarantee that this won’t become common knowledge in class tomorrow, can I?”

“I’ll tell you! I’ll tell you everything! Please, don’t tell anyone!”

At that, Mo Sishi rose frantically, her hesitation gone.

‘Eh… YuYang suddenly felt like a scoundrel.’

While he had used this very method in his previous life to get Mo Sishi to reveal the truth, back then, he had acted as the Class Monitor, genuinely wanting to help her solve her difficulties.

This time, knowing everything beforehand and still putting on such an act, he couldn’t help but feel a lingering sense of guilt.

‘Well, never mind. Now, I’ll just listen to Sishi recount her long-buried past.’

Bai YuYang calmly settled into the chair opposite her, propping his elbows on the table and resting his hands against his face, completely prepared to listen to a story.

“So, Classmate Mo, please tell me. The honest truth, now.”

“…Alright…”

Seeing that she had finally weighed the pros and cons, Bai YuYang sat up properly in his chair. Mo Sishi took a deep breath, then looked out at the sunset through the third-floor library window and began to tell her story.

“Class Monitor, since you saw it just now… you must also know that, in a sense, thanks to this appearance, I’m a little different from ordinary students.”

“Yes, indeed. Quite different. You’re exceptionally beautiful, on par with a campus belle. I daresay you don’t lose out to the current campus belle, Tang Qihuang.”

Bai YuYang showered her with praise.

This sudden compliment brought a blush to Mo Sishi’s cheeks, but she quickly suppressed it with formidable willpower.

Composing herself, she spoke again.

“Cough, cough… Class Monitor, thank you for the compliment. I don’t know if I’m as beautiful as you say… but my actual appearance truly caused me a lot of trouble in junior high.”

“It wasn’t an issue in elementary school… perhaps because everyone was still young and naive, but the classmates in my class got along very well.”

“However, when I got to junior high… a few girls in my class always looked at me with disdain. They once confronted me, asking why everyone’s attention was always on me and not them…

At the time, how was I supposed to know? I just wanted to attend school quietly.”

“I didn’t answer. Afterwards, I felt the girls in my class growing increasingly distant until I saw them putting bugs in my desk. Only then did I realize I was truly being targeted…”

“But I was helpless… I tried to explain to them that I just wanted to study in peace, and what others thought had nothing to do with me.

I hoped they would stop with the pranks, but they spoke even more harshly… They called me hypocritical and told me I’d better cover my face, or they’d bring knives to scratch it.”

“I was terrified, too… But I thought, since they believed my looks made them unhappy, it was better to avoid trouble. So I covered it up.

That’s why I bought these glasses in junior high and have been using them ever since… And Class Monitor, don’t laugh, but they’ve been quite effective. No one has bothered me since.”

***

Despite having heard it once before, the account of Sishi’s past, which forced her to conceal her true appearance, still made Bai YuYang involuntarily smack the tabletop in anger.

“How preposterous! Isn’t this just school bullying? Why would you care what a bunch of spiteful, jealous people say?”

The sudden bang on the table made Mo Sishi flinch. She whispered, “I… I couldn’t help it… Those girls really did wave around the small knives they used for homework. What could I do…?”

“Didn’t you tell a teacher?”

“I did… but there were many of them, and teachers always believed the larger group. They even said I was making trouble for no reason…”

“Hiss…”

Bai YuYang had long grown accustomed to the later, cheerful, confident, and unburdened Sishi. Facing her like this again, his heart truly ached.

Though he wanted to go over and hug her right then, it was clearly not appropriate at the moment.

In his previous life, Bai YuYang’s conversation had ended here once he understood the situation. But today, he intended to say a few more words.

Bai YuYang let out a soft sigh and said,

“Regardless, that was junior high. Everyone was still immature back then, and it’s inevitable to encounter a few peculiar individuals. Now it’s high school, and I doubt there are people like that in our class. Why not try taking off your glasses in class?”

Feeling that his persuasion wasn’t strong enough, Bai YuYang offered an example. “Look at President Tang Qihuang from senior year. Her appearance is outstanding, isn’t it? And she’s the student council president, yet no one gossips about her.”

“That’s different… I know… President Tang’s family is wealthy and influential. Who would dare speak ill of her? I’m just from an ordinary family…”

“……”

Those words left Bai YuYang unexpectedly speechless.

‘Sigh, as expected, I can’t rush this. In the previous life, YuYang had slowly helped Sishi overcome her inner struggles.’

He sighed, stood up, and slung his messenger bag over his shoulder.

“Even without mentioning President Tang, there are many examples I could give.

Well, I wanted to say my sister is also very beautiful and from an ordinary family, yet she’s still very popular, but I doubt you’d listen right now. So, let’s leave it at that for now.

Thank you for sharing your story with me. I’ll keep your secret as promised.”

With that, Bai YuYang waved his hand and turned to leave.

“Ah… thank you, Class Monitor! You… you take care…”

Mo Sishi carefully stood up, watching Bai YuYang slowly descend the third-floor stairs.

After a while, she confirmed through a nearby window that he had already exited the library doors.

A profound silence descended upon the third floor of the library. All sounds ceased.

Only Mo Sishi remained there.

Under the slanting rays of the setting sun, the classical library appeared somewhat desolate.

Mo Sishi slowly removed her black-rimmed glasses. Her beautiful crimson eyes sparkled with newfound confidence, and a smile gradually bloomed on her face.

Her entire demeanor underwent a profound transformation.

The timidity and shyness from moments before vanished, replaced by complete self-assurance and grace.

She rose from her seat, walked around to the opposite side, and sat in the chair Bai YuYang had just occupied.

No one knew what she was thinking, but she swayed happily from side to side, occasionally leaning on the table, feeling the lingering warmth.

Despite her remarkably refined aura, she was as joyous as a child at that moment.

“Heh heh… YuYang, I’m so happy. You still care about me so much, and you got angry for my sake… I’m truly delighted,呜… Do you know the sheer difficulty of holding herself back from embracing him…?”

After savoring the moment for a long time, Mo Sishi slowly lifted her head, her eyes filled with determination.

She had actually been testing whether Bai YuYang had been reborn.

Mo Sishi was a very cautious person. She wouldn’t conclude he was reborn just because he was late for the opening ceremony this time, unlike his punctuality in the previous life. That wasn’t conclusive evidence; it was too abrupt.

Nor was she so naive as to think she could just ask him directly, which would easily squander a perfectly good hand.

‘Hmm, I already won in the previous life… So now, I just need to proceed with utmost caution.’

‘The most prudent method is to maintain the status quo, gather information, and ascertain the situation with Bai YuYang and the other girls.’

‘Even if everything follows the original timeline… I’ll still win in the end, won’t I?’

‘My only concern… is whether the others will take any action if they, too, have been reborn. This is one reason why she couldn’t reveal everything to Bai YuYang yet.’

However, based on her current analysis, she was confident that Bai YuYang had at least an eighty percent chance of having been reborn.

But a decisive factor was still missing, and the opportunity to verify that moment was fast approaching.

By then, she could fully explain the matter of rebirth to Bai YuYang in private.

“YuYang… just you wait. Even if it’s a second life, I’ll show you I can still win.”

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